What is your ultimate goal?

[EmmaReed84]

OK, so I have been thinking long and hard about my future and where it is heading. I do enjoy childminding, I love being around children and just being able to laugh like a maniac while rolling about on the floor getting attacked by 4 children!

But my brain needs more, I need goals to work to. I have ideas I want to see become reality. I would eventually like to perhaps, possibly, maybe... Have an Emma' Explorers Nursery in my town. I want to expand my business and eventually be in a position where I can take a step back, I don't think I want to still be childminding and doing the same thing for the next 40 years.7

What are your future plans? What is your ultimate goal? Do you think you can achieve it?

[CLL]

We are planning to immigrate to Canada in the next 2 years, paperwork already started. Even though I love childminding I won't do it over there (you can have 5 children before you even need to register). I am planning to retrain (yet again) as an aeronautical engineer. Well that is the plan, I think I need a job for my brain!!

[Mrs Scrubbit]

I won't do this now (too old now for changes!) but as I love making simple resources that help the little ones learn, if I had my time again I would perhaps look into this area in more depth (that or become an Heir Hunter!) xx

[funemnx]

I'm 53 now and looking to retire at 60. I'm full to bursting and have an assistant. The ways things will go (I hope) is that all the children currently in my care will be in school or playschool within the next 3 years. I won't be taking any more children on (unless for siblings) so will be only offering wrap around care at some point. I've been busy doing this job for years and really need some kind of break, I'm exhausted.

There is light at the end of the tunnel

[Tazmin68]

Well my ds2 is just about to go into year 1 and i would like to stop when he changes schools so that is 6 years mortgage finishes in 8 it would be nice if could finish that around same time. I will be 51 then. Perhaps then by just doing before and after school look into teaching assistant course as i looked at them now but would have been two/three days college and rest placement so could not do it as i still need to mmake a living

[Bumble Beez]

Oh Emma I've been backwards and forward for the past few years about what to do...I've worked with assistants and its been great, I've worked alone and enjoy that too...but would love to open a nursery or something similar and take more of a back seat.
Although saying that, I found that when I was working with my assistants I felt that I should be doing all the jobs and found it very hard to delegate anything!! So being a manager of a setting may not be the best idea lol
I've also toyed with the idea of minding from a separate premises...childcare on domestic premises and opening a private pre-school...however nothing else seems to fit quite as well as minding at the moment.
Could all change tho as my littlest starts full time school in September and I may feel like a change

You sound like you're reading from the same life goal page as me Emma

Sarah x

[lilac_dragon]

Would love to run Adventure Activity camps for kids alongside a Forest School - but need to win the Lottery to do it.

[loocyloo]

I don't know!

sometimes I think i'd like to work in a school, or run my own nursery, but I love the spontaneity of childminding and I just wouldn't be able to do that in a nursery or school. plus, I don't like delegating all the little jobs that need doing as in paperwork or resources etc so can't have full time assistants!

[EmmaReed84]

The delegation points made me really chuckle... In all my previous job I have always got to a management level, I love delegating jobs. I love the managerial side of things, it really gets my creative juices going. DH is now a team leader and this is the first time he has ever been in charge of a team so I love giving him advice and ideas on how to handle situations.

At first he just used to nod and go "Ah ha, yeah, ummm!" then he would talk to a few other people, who would say the EXACT same thing as me then say "Oh yeah, Joe Bloggs said to do this, I think it is a really good idea!"

I love the idea of a nursery and doing all the business side of things, managing, mentoring, plus I get to be with the children as well.

[jadavi]

I hit sixty this year so am thinking how to cut back. I considered briefly applying to be an Ofsted inspector till I saw how awful the conditions were (self financing training etc)
I am happy to have assistants and local student doing most of my work while I manage etc and already have a day off a week which made things 100% better as I can go fri- Monday off on a trip (which I can afford thanks to childminding)
My worry is that I will hate feeling useless when I retire.
I am interested in theory in starting up a nursery (have the eyps) but think the managerial side will be a headache and being out of my home will not be such fun or so flexible etc. however if things go that way thru agency shinannigans or whatever then I'm not afraid to consider it.
I need to keep going while my kids are at uni then let circumstances dictate I guess....

[rosebud]

Would love to run Adventure Activity camps for kids alongside a Forest School - but need to win the Lottery to do it.

I would like to buy a couple of acres with woods and a big field and have forest school and childminding combined. I would just let the boys (and girls!) run free all day, making mud pies & dens, climbing trees, digging in sand, playing with hay bales - lottery win also needed, sigh.

[miffy]

My ultimate goal is retirement

And with my first grandchild due later this year I hope that will be sooner rather than later.

Miffy xx

[bindy]

I hope to set up a Day Care with a difference! In the next 2 years.

[Bumble Beez]

I hope to set up a Day Care with a difference! In the next 2 years.

Sounds intriguing...would love to know what the difference is keep us posted!!

[emma04]

I'm going to jump from a frying pan in to a fire and become a primary school teacher!
Providing I can pass GCSE maths and biology anytime soon!!
I want to continue working with children, but once my dd2 starts school in 2015, I want my house back!
I want normal objects to look at;

Like beautiful cushions that won't get gormed in snot and dribble!
A clean, stain free carpet
Walls that haven't been buggy bashed
Walls that are free from posters, certificates and crayon!
A computer desk adorned with absolutely nothing!
Empty spaces, where several over spilling toy boxes and baskets used to be!
A garden free of faded plastic paraphernalia!
A downstairs cloak without the steps, seats, floor cloths, floor wipes, baby wipes, nappy sacks etc.
An under stairs cupboard that I can actually find stuff in!
A shed I can walk in!
A car without car seats!

Sorry, I'm renown for going on a bit!!!

[CLL]

I'm going to jump from a frying pan in to a fire and become a primary school teacher!
Providing I can pass GCSE maths and biology anytime soon!!
I want to continue working with children, but once my dd2 starts school in 2015, I want my house back!
I want normal objects to look at;

Like beautiful cushions that won't get gormed in snot and dribble!
A clean, stain free carpet
Walls that haven't been buggy bashed
Walls that are free from posters, certificates and crayon!
A computer desk adorned with absolutely nothing!
Empty spaces, where several over spilling toy boxes and baskets used to be!
A garden free of faded plastic paraphernalia!
A downstairs cloak without the steps, seats, floor cloths, floor wipes, baby wipes, nappy sacks etc.
An under stairs cupboard that I can actually find stuff in!
A shed I can walk in!
A car without car seats!

Sorry, I'm renown for going on a bit!!!

I have only been minding 6 months and I want this too! (not the teaching, been there, done that. But the tidy, nice stuff).

[wellybelly]

My son starts school in 2015, so will be childminding defo till then, after that I'd like to have a few months of meeting friends for lunch, going for a swim by myself and shopping in shops that sell lots of breakable things! Basically I'm gonna do everything I havnt been able to do whilst I've been minding or with my toddler

After then, not sure

[SJ35]

I start my OU Open degree early next year. Not sure yet what to do after that though, primary school teaching maybe? X

[maisiemog]

I have two degrees that I have never used and thousands of pounds of student debt I really should clear but still no ideas what I want to do when I grow up!

My husband and I are seriously considering fostering and I'm also contemplating doing a post grad social worker qualification....or going and doing my PGCE and teaching secondary RE.

My DD starts school next month and I was always going to quit then...I'm still minding and won't be quitting any time soon!

[mrstom]

I'm going to jump from a frying pan in to a fire and become a primary school teacher!
Providing I can pass GCSE maths and biology anytime soon!!
I want to continue working with children, but once my dd2 starts school in 2015, I want my house back!
I want normal objects to look at;

Like beautiful cushions that won't get gormed in snot and dribble!
A clean, stain free carpet
Walls that haven't been buggy bashed
Walls that are free from posters, certificates and crayon!
A computer desk adorned with absolutely nothing!
Empty spaces, where several over spilling toy boxes and baskets used to be!
A garden free of faded plastic paraphernalia!
A downstairs cloak without the steps, seats, floor cloths, floor wipes, baby wipes, nappy sacks etc.
An under stairs cupboard that I can actually find stuff in!
A shed I can walk in!
A car without car seats!

Sorry, I'm renown for going on a bit!!!

I am very jealous Emma.

I realised too late that I wanted to be a primary school teacher (due to a combination of dropping out of my a-levels in the late 90s, then falling into an office job and getting used to having a salary rather than going back to complete my education). At the ripe old age of 36 I've missed the boat

I hope that my mistakes will help my own children tread a different path and to not squander their talents or chances!